We here at Bad Kerning love to mix up the rules in games sometimes, including in our own Sell Outs (we have a huge list of alternate rules available in this post). Here’s a few new rules to try at your next Monopoly get together that will ensure that no one asks you to play Monopoly ever again!
Each turn must start with a dance break to loosen up.
All pieces must be referred to by their full, formal names, i.e. “the blue car,” not just “the blue.”
Players are encouraged to talk in exaggerated accents and make inappropriate jokes.
If a player rolls a three, they must make a sound like a barnyard animal of their choice.
If a player lands on a “tax” square, they must perform a karaoke song of the game owner’s choosing.
If a player lands on “jail,” they must take a shot of vinegar.
Players may only move their pieces with their toes.
If a player lands on a “chance” square, they must recite a Shakespearean sonnet.
If a player lands on “Go,” they must perform a stand-up comedy routine.
Disclaimer: These rules are meant to be humorous and not taken seriously. Play at your own risk!
Board games have been a source of entertainment for centuries, but with the growing market, the competition is becoming increasingly fierce. In order to succeed in the board game market today, companies must overcome a number of challenges.
Increased Competition: The board game market has grown significantly in recent years, which has led to an increase in competition. Companies must differentiate themselves from the competition by offering unique and innovative games that stand out from the crowd.
Limited Market Size: Despite the growth of the board game market, the size of the target audience is limited. Companies must find ways to expand their target audience and reach new customers if they hope to succeed in the long term.
High Development Costs: Developing a new board game is an expensive process. From designing the game, to creating prototypes, and eventually mass-producing it, the costs can quickly add up. Companies must find ways to reduce costs while still maintaining a high level of quality in their games.
Difficulty Reaching Customers: In order to reach customers, companies must effectively market their products. This can be challenging, especially for small companies with limited budgets. Companies must find creative and effective ways to reach customers and get their games into the hands of consumers.
Game development can sink a lot of money into a project, and without proper market evaluation or product testing, independent designers can sink themselves. It’s important to have a great idea, but it is often more important to have good information and marketing.
Despite these challenges, there are ways to overcome them and succeed in the board game market today. Companies can focus on building a strong brand identity, finding ways to reduce costs, and utilizing innovative marketing strategies to reach customers. Additionally, companies can work to expand their target audience by creating games that appeal to a wider range of people.
Succeeding in the board game market today requires companies to be creative, innovative, and strategic in their approach. By overcoming the challenges and finding ways to reach customers, companies can continue to grow and thrive in this ever-changing market.
We love alternate rules where we can get them, and Sell Outs has plenty! Feel free to implement these rules for the whole group in a session of Sell Outs (“Let’s play Two-Bit Sell Outs”) or on a per-player basis (“I’m going to be a Brainless Sell Out”).
Draconian (For large groups, shorter games, or heavier discussions)
One player gives a pitch for their business selling a product.
Every other player becomes a judge (Dragon or Shark).
The pitching player should present their product as a business idea.
The judges can ask questions about the business or product.
Tally the number of interested investors after each pitch. Most investors wins!
Two-Faced (Suggested for Large Groups or Teams)
Too many players? Team up, combine your hands and make your buying decisions and pitches together!
Collaborate on what product card you will use together, but each player contributes a feature from their hand in secret!
Lying (For people who like bluffing games)
Players do not reveal the cards they play.
During the pitch, Sellers can lie about modifiers, or be completely honest. (If you have bad feature cards, you might choose to make your product more appealing this way).
The Customer can either buy a product or call false advertising.
If the Customer calls false advertising, the accused player reveals their feature cards, and if they lied during their pitch the consumer keeps the problem card. If the Sellers did not lie, that Sellers gets the problem card.
Feel free to include these overcomplicated Lying rules for adding some drama to the game as well:
False advertisement!
The Seller can offer a deal for the Customer to drop the accusation.
If a deal cannot be made, the lawsuit goes to court.
The Lawsuit
All other players except the plaintiff and defendant become the jury and judges.
You can bribe the jury to vote in your favor!
The jury members do not need to honor the terms of a bribe! But you probably won’t make any friends that way.
The Seller and Customer may make a case to the jury.
After all cases have been made, the jury votes. It is recommended that the verdict be announced out loud to all players, even if everyone already knew.
The jury decides the penalty, and it must be paid right away. The winner collects anything the jury awarded to them, and everything in the reserve.
Discovery!
Playing with the Sneaky variant? The consumer may file for Discovery! by paying $3 to the reserve. The Seller must hand out their modifier cards to members of the jury at random. Only give each jury member one card. Some members may not get cards, and some cards may not be handed out. This is fine.
The jury should not share the contents of the card, but they may ask a question about the pitch.
Greedy (For people who like complicated rules)
Grab some poker chips or other tokens you have a lot of available. This is now money.
Everyone takes three money to start with.
Every time you become the Customer, you collect your salary, equal to 3 moneys + one for each product you have sold so far during the game. (Hide money because it can have an effect on the sale.)
The Seller must reveal the product’s price at some point during the pitch.
Instead of winning the problem card, when the Customer buys the product, they must pay the price given to the Seller, and the problem card may be discarded.
At the end of three rounds, the player with the most money wins!
Two-Bit
Instead of drawing one random Feature card during your pitch, draw two. You can play one or both Features on your own card. If you hold on to one, you can play it on another player’s product during their pitch.
Dirty
Hold on to the products you buy. Add these products to your options of products to sell to other players.
If playing with the Greedy variant, add a Used modifier, using half the product’s original value, but the same quality of life!
Cheap
Haggle! The rules of the haggle are up to you! You can choose to allow anything to be offered in a haggle. Want to bribe the judge with $2, another card from your hand, and a backrub? Who are we to judge?
Ignorant
Make up your own rules variant or play a different way altogether! You own the game, it’s your responsibility now.
No-Good
Have the consumer draw some products for their problem and choose one. Each seller then has a chance to apply features to the product and sell the same product to the consumer.
Brainless
Draw your product and features cards at random, and sell whatever you draw!
Dickless
Use only features from your hand.
Hopeless
Ignore the regular rules.
Play Cards Against Humanity style, except use products instead of black cards, and features in place of white cards.
Heartless
Ignore the regular rules.
Play Superfight style, except you are the fighter, and your product is your weapon.
Board games have been a source of entertainment for people all around the world for centuries. From ancient games like Senet to modern games like Settlers of Catan (now just Catan), board games have been a fun and social way for people to spend time together. However, accessibility remains a big problem in the board game industry, particularly for people with disabilities. And with the increasing game complexity and rising game piece production costs, these issues are bound to grow. This article will discuss the problem of accessibility in board games and what the industry can do to address it.
Accessibility Barriers in Board Games
One of the main barriers to accessibility in board games is the physical design of the game components. Many board games come with small pieces that can be difficult for people with fine motor difficulties to manipulate, or with text that is too small for people with visual impairments to read. This can make playing the game a frustrating and impossible experience for some players.
Another issue is the lack of accessibility options in the rules. For example, some games require players to remember specific sequences or recall specific details from previous rounds, which can be difficult for people with memory difficulties or cognitive impairments. This can also make it difficult for players with hearing or speech impairments to participate, as they may not be able to communicate effectively with other players.
Additionally, many in the gaming community have to contend with issues such as dyslexia or colorblindness. These can lead to difficulty with reading text on cards or differentiating between game pieces that are the same shape but different colors.
All of these can lead to an interruption in the flow of gameplay, sometimes leading to other issues, such as impatience, loss of interest, or loss of attention. In the board game industry, designers need to take these issues into account, especially when the success or failure of the game depends on entire groups of players being able to follow the flow of the game.
Working Towards Greater Accessibility in Board Games
Thankfully, some game designers and publishers are starting to address these issues. For instance, some games now come with larger pieces and clear, easy-to-read text, making them more accessible to people with visual impairments. In addition, some games are being designed with alternative rules that make the game more accessible to players with disabilities, such as allowing players to use prompts or special tools to help with memory or fine motor difficulties.
An emblem added to the Sell Outs box design to display what color combinations and fonts are used in the game components.
It is important for the board game industry to continue to work towards greater accessibility for all players. This can be achieved through collaboration between game designers, publishers, and accessibility advocates to ensure that all players have equal opportunities to enjoy and participate in board games. The industry should also provide more information and resources to help players understand the accessibility features of different games and how to modify them to make them more accessible.
Board games are a popular and enjoyable form of entertainment for many people, but the industry needs to do more to make them accessible to everyone. By addressing the physical design and rules of games, and by providing information and resources to players, the industry can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the fun and social benefits of playing board games. If you are looking for accessible board games, check out the resources and information available online. Help promote accessibility in the board game industry and ensure that everyone can enjoy the fun of playing board games.
We here at Bad Kerning Games decided to do our part while designing Sell Outs to make a game that is fun and accessible to as many players as possible. We have tested the card colors and designs for colorblindness. We used a font on the cards that is dyslexia friendly. The rules of Sell Outs are incredibly flexible and can be modified as a group see fit. We want accessibility and fun to be at the core of our games and we think Sell Outs is a good first attempt at that.
Sell Outs
The game about saying anything to get a sale! Craft the perfect product with your choice of one feature (and a random feature) and explain why your product is best!
What do you think? Should board game designers make considerations for players of differing abilities? Do you think it is helpful to add emblems on to game boxes to inform potential buyers of what to expect if playing with someone who is differently abled? Do these considerations make you more or less likely to make a purchase when considering a game purchase?
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Shipping for Sell Outs and Sell Outs Traveling Salesman Edition is FREE to the US! Dismiss
